Phyllostachys prominens

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dependable
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by dependable »

I don't think I've recorded a temperature below -9f since I had bamboo. But it has been below -5 several times. None of the aureosulcatas (regular, alata, aurea, spectabilis) have been damaged much, except for those in the 'wind tunnel' by the highway.

Vivax seems to get a little more beat up. It may be a factor of height and wind, but did get KTG once early on as a small planting.

I used to have a fair amount of nigra, it is struggling now to hold ground and got at least leaf killed again this year. Henon and borida seem about as hardy as vivax.
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by johnw »

That was very clear and precise Steffen. The aureosulcata results are quite surprising. I think of the oldest and biggest aureosulcata 'Aureocaulis' here in the city, it is at least 7m tall and has seen at least one instance of -20c (-4F) in its 21 years. Friend tells me it has never once frozen to the ground or had branch damage. It will be interesting to see what happens to it in a month or so after this persistenly cold winter.

The aureosulcata grove that was killed inland here was 'Alata'. In Europe I suppose you have not seen different hardiness for the various aureosulcata forms as has been seen in N. America. Is that true?

The results of your tests will at least give us a good starting point. I have to laugh when you say " if nothing else goes wrong", that hardly describes a maritime winter here when snow cover is so unpredictable, messy weather assured and winds are a certainty. Inland they don't always have the cool humidity we have on the coast and may explain why the Fargesias tolerate everything in their stride here. Ditto on the humidity for "dependable" on Martha's Vineyard where I have to say those lows are shocking, I remember visiting North Tisbury once and thinking I was in the banana belt, even a Camellia there.

I wonder if forumists have had similar results with atrovaginata? This February's winter may have been worse than the past one.

re: atrovaginata hardiness
Last year Steve in Rochester, NY reported "95% leaf kill and 20% top kill after -5.4F (0F on 13 nights with the worst supposively at -9F), ground frozen 13 weeks, 0F 13 times, Z6a/b". Alan in St. Louis, MI reported "Many leaves dead, but some partially green, releafing, in ground after -8ºF (-22ºC) a couple of times, and it was for more than just a few hours. Sharp winds accompanied the frigid air, and the combination was too much for most of the exposed parts of the bamboos." tncry in Moncton, NB reported "100% topkill, may be dead 21 June 2014" but with no update. I reckon he saw -23c (-10F) or worse.

I suppose it would be good if forumists could send in their 2015 findings so this spreadsheet can be updated after such a tumultuous winter everrywhere east of the rockies.
johnw coastal Nova Scotia
Rufledt
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by Rufledt »

I don't know how useful any of my data will be since I try to cover everything, but I still got damage through the tarps. I'm only supposed to be slightly colder than Steve in Rochester, but with so many days at -5 to -10f (and a few nights even colder), i'm not sure what i'm going to find when I pull off the tarp.

tonight is now forecast to hit -5f, after that all the numbers are positive. I hope the deep freeze is finally gone.
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by stevelau1911 »

How much snow has there been over the tarp?

It topped out at around the 3ft area here in February, but now it's melting even though the temperatures stay consistently below freezing likely due to the natural warmth of the soil underneath, or the sun's rays. The snow is getting close to the 1ft mark now, and should be mostly gone after 2 more weeks of consistent days with above freezing temperatures.

Anything smothered my snow typically doesn't get damaged, and after the snow is completely gone, it just can't seem to get that cold from that point on. Lets just hope the extremes are gone for good by next week.
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by Rufledt »

I can't get to the tarp to check. There isn't a ton on the tarp itself because it's mostly under an overhang, and the xmas tree lights I put under there seems to melt some that falls on the tarp. The few times I checked under there the lights appeared to keep the water jugs a little bit unfrozen, but most of them were still pretty solid. I think the prominens and a few others got leaf damaged in january while I was away and didn't have the lights under there. I would guess the leaves are going to fall off, but my prominens wasn't well established. Last winter I put my potted/planter-ed bamboos in the garage and they froze solid. Still that nearly dead parvifolia division survived, and that was way weaker, so this prominens should be fine after it puts out some new leaves.

Next winter I need a plan C. I'm thinking of sealing off my garage better and keeping it a little warmer. Maybe tarp the plants in the garage with a small heater to come on below freezing? The prominens is at a disadvantage already because it's in a planter and not in the ground, but the planter is huge (i can barely move it). Depending on how well my aureosulcata harbin performs I may just swap it with the prominens. Harbin was fine in a planter for years and I don't necessarily need 2 different aureosulcatas in the ground when I could put something else there.

What I really need is some random tragedy to wipe out a couple huge maple trees shading the rest of my back yard. It would really open up the space.
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by johnw »

On the subject of P. prominens here is why we and the ABS are not living up to reality and facts. This information you will find by clicking Bamboo on the header above - second box from the left, then scroll down and click the first "Find".

Blatant errors like this should never have gone to print before some testing was done. No rating for temperature was even given for prominens - minimum temp shows U for unknown. So who made this ridiculous hardiness determination?
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by oobmab »

Rufledt wrote: What I really need is some random tragedy to wipe out a couple huge maple trees shading the rest of my back yard. It would really open up the space.
Barking the trees will go a long ways towards that end. I have actually considered doing that hoping for a slow deconstruction. Ideally, the limbs would drop off gradually, and then at some point I would eliminate the trunk. Heck, with the limbs and leaves gone, that wouldn't even be necessary. The unpredictableness resulting from never having gone there is what has kept me from doing it.
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by Nicholas »

oobmab wrote: Barking the trees will go a long ways towards that end. I have actually considered doing that hoping for a slow deconstruction. Ideally, the limbs would drop off gradually, ...
My advice, either have the limbs removed professionally or get one of those extendable chainsaws and take them off bit by bit.
Dead/damaged trees are a nightmare for woodworkers as they can be very unpredictable. While it is improbable that a limb will break off right when you are under the tree it is an unnecessary hazard.
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by oobmab »

Nicholas wrote: My advice, either have the limbs removed professionally or get one of those extendable chainsaws and take them off bit by bit.
Dead/damaged trees are a nightmare for woodworkers as they can be very unpredictable. While it is improbable that a limb will break off right when you are under the tree it is an unnecessary hazard.
I have a pole saw and have trimmed as high as I can, even on a step ladder, which is a scary combination. The canopy is simply too high. If I do decide to trim more I will probably forgo girdling the tree (due to concerns mentioned) and shoot a line with a crossbow over the outer reaches of limbs (to gain breaking leverage), and simply pull with a tractor until they break. That way I can maintain reasonable control.
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by dependable »

johnw wrote: on Martha's Vineyard where I have to say those lows are shocking, I remember visiting North Tisbury once and thinking I was in the banana belt, even a Camellia there.
Sometimes we will get several years in a row that would probably support zone 8 plants, but about every decade or so we some lows that are more zone 6. We are supposedly 7a.

Hard to remember now, but winter of 2012-2013 was above freezing a lot of the time.
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by Rufledt »

oobmab wrote:
Nicholas wrote: My advice, either have the limbs removed professionally or get one of those extendable chainsaws and take them off bit by bit.
Dead/damaged trees are a nightmare for woodworkers as they can be very unpredictable. While it is improbable that a limb will break off right when you are under the tree it is an unnecessary hazard.
I have a pole saw and have trimmed as high as I can, even on a step ladder, which is a scary combination. The canopy is simply too high. If I do decide to trim more I will probably forgo girdling the tree (due to concerns mentioned) and shoot a line with a crossbow over the outer reaches of limbs (to gain breaking leverage), and simply pull with a tractor until they break. That way I can maintain reasonable control.
The problem for me is that the trees are really big, and perfectly healthy. One of them looks kind of ratty, but the tree shading most of my back yard is quick thick, healthy, and wide. It shades the entire width of my back yard and if anybody but a pro takes it down it could damage my deck/house, my neighbor's deck, or any one (or 2) of 3 sheds, all close enough to get crushed, including mine. Stupid, healthy tree.

Back on prominens, once the snow melts enough to get the tarp off my plants I'll see how mine did. I'm guessing still quite a bit of damage, but it will probably leaf out.
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by David »

This was an interesting photo. That's parvifolia in the rear with prominens in the front. We experienced a low of -3°F, and two ice storms that destroyed our vivax. The winter of 2014-2015 has proven to be our hardest yet.
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by steffen »

At -3°F (-19.4°C) prominens is at the edge of it's hardiness. I hope the plant will still look good when it gets sunny and dry.
I suppose vivax was destroyed by breaking culms not by frost, right?

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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by David »

Growing vivax in the mid-south is rewarding, but we are nearly always on the freezing rain edge of cold fronts. We have come to expect some losses every year, but this was by far the most damage. The largest culm I removed during clean up was 4.5" (11.43cm) by 45ft (14m). When the culms broke it sounded like gunshots!
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Vivax aureocaulis grove destroyed by ice, wind, and the occasional unfortunate cedar tree.
Vivax aureocaulis grove destroyed by ice, wind, and the occasional unfortunate cedar tree.
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David Arnold
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Re: Phyllostachys prominens

Post by johnw »

Very hard to look at David. Guess it tells us something about the climate where vivax originates. We rarely get freezing rain here on this part of the coast but this year we would have had the same disaster if we could even grow vivax. I suppose wet snow would be as devastating, that's usually on the menu here.

A balmy 2c here.
johnw coastal Nova Scotia
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